Mission Statement

We, the Augustinians of the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel, are members of the worldwide Order of St. Augustine in the Roman Catholic Church. Centered in the Eucharist and prayer, we search for God in community by sharing our lives, goods and spiritual journey with each other and the people of God. In harmony of mind and heart on our journey toward God, our experience of common life flows into and shapes our ministries. We continue to serve the Church in schools, parishes and missions as we seek to discern new paths of service to which God calls us.

The main reason for your coming together is to be of one mind and one heart on the way to God.

— St. Augustine

Fathers Robert Basler, O.S.A. and Craig McMahon, O.S.A. were ordained to the priesthood this past July 2013

Some of men in formation visiting the community of retired Augustinians with lay supporters

Missionary Reverend John Lydon, O.S.A. confirms special needs children in northern Peru

Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.

— Saint Augustine

Vision for the Future

Since 1905, across the Midwest United States, from Tulsa to Detroit to St. Louis to Chicago to Racine to New Lenox and back, over 220 Augustinians have given their lives to serve the Church. Eighty-one Augustinians in solemn vows and eleven men in formation currently serve the Province. Of them, there are 28 retired and infirm Augustinians that together have dedicated over 1,100 years of service to the Church and the community.

The world wants what Augustinians provide--Truth, Unity, and Love of our brothers and sisters. Augustinians of the Midwest will continue to be a source of hope and integrity in a world needing more of both. With God’s help and your support, in 10 years we envision the following:

55-60 Augustinians serving thousands of families and individuals in schools and parishes

The majority of these 60 Augustinians will earn an income to help sustain the Province

4 to 5 Augustinians in each of four schools

3 to 4 Augustinians in each of nine parishes

Ongoing service in the Augustinian tradition to tens of thousands of people

Further development of the Peruvian Vicariate toward emergence as a separate Province

We arrived at this vision after completing a Province-wide strategic plan. The plan helped focus our top priorities over the coming years on:

Committing a program to support our men in formation and grow vocations,

Providing care for our retired and infirm in a modest and safe community setting,

Supporting our extensive Peruvian missions, and

Putting the Province on sound financial ground as good stewards.

We envision this vision to be fulfilled by:

More vocations - 12 men in formation in the Midwest now, 38 across the United States,

Close coordination of vocation and formation programs across Provinces,

Carefully managed care of retired and infirm Augustinians in a community setting,

Selective placement of Augustinians in parishes and schools,

More Augustinians moving from formation into active and income-producing ministry, and

Development of a broader revenue base--charitable donors and gifts.

To implement and execute our strategy, we have additionally envisioned the management of our financial resources. Our current Province budget is $2.7 million. Allowing each year for a few more men in formation, a few more Augustinians retiring or becoming infirm, and for a steady commitment to our missionary work in Peru, we estimate the Province budget to grow to $3.2 million by 2017. Our targets the next five years are:

To rebuild our reserves from $17 million to $25 million. This will then generate $1 million a year in revenue and protect reserves from inflation,

To grow the annual fund to at least $750,000 a year, and

To increase annual revenue from our Friaries and working Augustinians to $1,150,000.

To achieve these financial priorities, the Province must focus on a strong fundraising component. The Augustinians are a mendicant Order of the Church. We receive no regular funding from Rome, dioceses, corporations, or foundations. We must raise funds through our work in schools and parishes, bequests and other planned gifts, and annual charitable gifts. We will focus on:

Building reserves,

Securing major gifts at $5,000 and greater,

Building a core of 1,000 generous people each donating $1,000 a year (about $3.00 a day),

Building a broad base of donors at all levels,

Asking people to name the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel of the Augustinian Order as beneficiaries in wills, insurance policies, and retirement plans.

If you would like to help be a part of our vision, please partner with us by: